Kathleen A. Schultz
Daily Gazette, Sterling, Ill.
MT. MORRIS, Ill. — An autopsy was performed today on a 27-year-old Mt. Morris woman who, along with her unborn boy, appears to have perished Wednesday afternoon in a house fire.
A specific cause of death will not be released until toxicology and other results are available, which may take several weeks, a spokeswoman at the Ogle County Coroner’s office said.
Melissa Lamesch’s baby was due Saturday, according to a birth registry website.
She had been an EMT since June 2016 and was working for Trace Ambulance in Tinley Park, according to her brother, Karl Lamesch, who established a GoFundMe page to raise money for a memorial.
He hopes to plant a tree in her memory at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, which was one of her favorite places, he said. Donations can be sent to Karl Lamesch, 1025 Misty Landing Court, Malta IL 60150.
Go to www.gofundme.com/f/Melissa-Lamesch to donate online and for updates.
Firefighters responding to the fire at 206 S. Hannah Ave. around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday encountered heavy smoke and blaring smoke detectors, and found Lamesch on the kitchen floor, Mt. Morris Fire Chief Rob Hough IV said.
Despite life-saving measures, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Damage, estimated at $125,000, left the home inhabitable, Hough said.
A cause of the fire has not been released. The Mt. Morris police and fire departments, the Ogle County sheriff, the state fire marshal and the coroner are investigating.
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